Business Growth and Innovation Support
Launching or growing a business doesn’t have to be sink or swim. With the right support your technology or creative venture can make waves in the sector.
As a member of our hub, you’ll benefit from complimentary, all-encompassing business and innovation support, engaging networking, and skills development events to help you thrive. Connect with local businesses, the University of Bolton, regional support organisations and our experienced Innovation Director and in-house team, who are here to offer expert advice on all aspects of business growth. You’ll also be able to draw on our national team of business growth experts to fuel your growth.
Access to world-class support right where you work.
At The Wellsprings, we believe in nurturing every aspect of your business.
Our in-house Innovation Support team are on hand to offer advice, guidance, and signposting to support you with:
- Business Growth: Strategies to help your business expand sustainably.
- Funding Opportunities: Guidance on securing the necessary funds to fuel your growth.
- Marketing: Innovative marketing tactics to increase your brand visibility.
- Hiring: Best practices for building a strong and dynamic team.
- Strategy: Insightful advice to refine your business strategy.
Ian Balderson, Innovation Director for The Wellsprings
Ian has a wide range of experience with a number of senior roles including 30 years with Barclays Bank where he headed up and supported the teams responsible for leading the personal and business customer across Greater Manchester. Towards the end of his Barclays career, Ian led a programme working alongside the corporate division supporting larger clients both in private and public sectors with Digital Transformation acting as a consultant to help shape the strategy and assess the impact any transformation would have with both end users and their workforce. Since leaving the finance sector, Ian has created a programme to enable innovation within the Pharmacy sector, identifying, designing and overseeing development and testing of SaaS products to improve the sector and enable the smaller pharmacy to innovate in the same way as it’s larger competition. Directly prior to joining Oxford Innovation Space, Ian headed up project management and implementation integrating products into Legal firms both in the UK and USA.
Forge connections and a pathway to success.
Whether you’re a start-up, a creative professional, or a growing business, our expert team will provide you with the tools, guidance and support you need to achieve your business aims, build a supportive entrepreneurial community, and connect you with peers and experts in the town and across the country.
- Links with Business Bolton, the University of Bolton and regional business support organisations
- World-class ‘wrap-around’ support for growing businesses
- Funding opportunities, networking events, collaboration, and learning
- Access to our national network of more than 850 SMEs with support from business growth and innovation experts
- Gain access to The Wire – a new digital platform connecting 900+ businesses across Oxford Innovation Space centres, including The Wellsprings, to collaborate, share knowledge, and spark partnerships.
Being part of the Oxford Innovation Space network mean that we can offer our entrepreneurs a range of connections, knowledge and infrastructure, and countless opportunities to help you achieve your goals.
- Founded by The Oxford Trust to provide support to science, technology, and knowledge-led early-stage companies
- The largest operator of innovation centres in the UK – we have over 35 years of experience of running spaces and places to support SMEs and entrepreneurs
- Our clients are universities, research and major science site owners, public sector, private investors and charities
- We deliver a range of objectives: support to high-growth SMEs and spin outs, on-going revenue and financial sustainability, economic development, jobs growth, profile, and business engagement
- Access to Beauhurst – a searchable database of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses
- One of the largest Angel Investment Networks in the UK
- Access to active investors who can add value to early-stage companies, in addition to capital
- Seven investment showcase events every year so that selected companies can meet potential investors
- Access to support and tools from Oxford Innovation Finance
Access to Tools
GROWTHmapper™
Oxford Innovation has developed GROWTHmapper™ to help high growth businesses achieve their ambitions. This digital diagnostic tool consolidates over 20 years’ experience of nurturing successful high growth businesses and is used to model your business across multiple areas for future strategic growth.
Beauhurst
Beauhurst is a searchable database of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses, along with the funds and accelerators that back them.
Oxford Innovation Space has a subscription to the Beauhurst platform, which allows us to track 32,000+ companies across the country, from early-stage start-ups to established scaleups.
Using Beauhurst we can find comprehensive information on sources of funding and grants.
Leading Edge Only
Oxford Innovation Space has an exciting partnership with Leading Edge Only (LEO), the world’s largest Global Innovation Platform. Operating in over 120 countries, LEO connects innovative fast-growth start-ups & scale-ups to corporations seeking the latest innovative technologies, products, services or expertise – corporates such as IBM, Fujitsu & Walgreens Boots Alliance.
This is a free service for those customers who are seeking to get their solutions and expertise in-front of major corporations.
AWS
Oxford Innovation Space is one of 160 official Amazon Web Service Partners worldwide, which means that you may be able to benefit from free support packages. This can include up to $25,000 of AWS credits.
Connect, Innovate, and Grow with The Wire
Join an exclusive community platform for Oxford Innovation Space customers, teams, and trusted partners where you can:
- Discover strategic partners and collaboration opportunities across the network
- Attend webinars, live streams, and masterclasses by industry leaders
- Showcase your business and increase visibility
- Connect with like-minded people in chat rooms, interest groups, and cross-centre networking
- Tap into expert business support, playbooks, and resources
Business Development Tools
When you join The Wellsprings, you'll gain access to a wide range of tools and services to help your business achieve its goals.
GROWTHmapper™
Oxford Innovation has developed GROWTHmapper™ to help high growth businesses achieve their ambitions. This digital diagnostic tool consolidates over 20 years’ experience of nurturing successful high growth businesses and is used to model your business across multiple areas for future strategic growth.
Google for Startups Cloud Program
The The Wellsprings customers benefit from Google’s startup support, including mentoring, event sponsorships, and tailored cloud solutions to help founders navigate growth in the digital age.
Leading Edge Only
Oxford Innovation Space has an exciting partnership with Leading Edge Only (LEO), the world’s largest Global Innovation Platform. Operating in over 120 countries, LEO connects innovative fast-growth start-ups & scale-ups to corporations seeking the latest innovative technologies, products, services or expertise – corporates such as IBM, Fujitsu & Walgreens Boots Alliance.
This is a free service for those customers who are seeking to get their solutions and expertise in-front of major corporations.
Microsoft – Accelerating Startups & Scaleups
We partner with Microsoft to support software companies through comprehensive Cloud solutions, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure. Startups gain access to go-to-market channels and transformative digital tools.
Dell for Startups Access
Dell provides The Wellsprings customers with exclusive discounts, technical advisory services, and comprehensive end-to-end support, along with speaking opportunities and event access.
Oxford Innovation Finance Angel Network
We offer access to one of the UK’s largest and oldest Angel Investment Networks, helping businesses secure vital funding for their next growth phase.
GrantFinder
GrantFinder provides comprehensive access to local, national, and international funding opportunities, ensuring you stay ahead in securing financial support.
Barclays Eagle Labs
Partnering with Barclays, we bring Eagle Labs currently to three of our centres, offering expert mentorship, industry insight, and investor access to accelerate startup growth.
Expert support across every business function.
GrowthCanvas
GrowthCanvas is an AI-powered platform that quickly generates tailored growth insights and action plans for SMEs. It helps businesses make smarter decisions faster by turning complex data into clear, practical recommendations.
How your membership unlocks expert support
Hear from Neil Griffin, Business Support Director at Oxford Innovation Space, explaining the business support you receive as part of your membership.
Antler: The PropTech Incubator
Test, prove and scale your property technology in real buildings
Antler is Oxford Innovation Space’s PropTech incubator, helping start-ups and scale-ups pilot, refine and commercialise new property technologies in real-world environments. The programme connects innovators working on smart buildings, sustainability, energy efficiency and carbon reduction with live buildings, expert feedback and collaboration opportunities.
Ready to put your technology to the test? Get in touch to explore whether Antler is right for your business.
Get insights, tips, tools, resources, and news from The Wellsprings to help you grow your business.
Find your space in an inspiring hub that celebrates creativity and individuality. Explore the flexible office space, coworking, and meeting rooms for innovative entrepreneurs at The Wellsprings.